Photocopy machine



Feb. 26, 1963 J. w. CARLSON PHOTOCOPY MACHINE med Sept. 19,' 1.962

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR: JOHN W. CARLSON BY mfl Feb. 26, 1963 J. w. CARLSON PHOTOCOPY MACHINE Filed Sept. '19, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOHN W. CARLSON www ATTYS Feb. 26, 1963 J. w. cARLsoN PHOTOCOPY momma 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 19, 1962 INVENTOR: JOHN W- CAR LSON ATT'Ys 3,h78,'777 llPlOTOCOPY MACHKNE John W. Carlson, Chicago, lil., assignor to Speed-O-lrant Business Machines Corporation, Chicago, a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 224,740 5 Qlairns. (Cl. 95--89) This invention relates in general to improvements in photocopy machines, and more particularly to machines of the type capable of carrying out the diffusion-transferreversal process.

The invention herein embodies improvements over my copending application, Serial No. 4-20 filed January 4, 1960, now Patent No. 3,031,942, which discloses a machine of the type referred to above, and this application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 184,056 filed April 2, 1962, now abandoned.

In general, it may be said that the device of the present invention includes a housing wherein a trough is located for the reception of a developer fluid. In carrying out the process, a negative photographic sheet is placed in contact with the original of which a copy is to be made, and is exposed to light. The negative sheet is then placed in facc-to-face contact with a positive sheet which has thereon a photographic coating. The positive and negative sheets are then fed into the machine, but are kept separated until they are both wet by the developer fluid. The sheets are then allowed to come together and are passed between a pair of wringer rollers which feed them through an opening and out of the machine. After a short period of time, the two sheets may then be separated, and it will be found that the image which has been developed onto the negative sheet will have been transferred to the positive sheet.

in some of the prior art machines heretofore used for carrying out this process a plurality of guideways have been used consisting of a plurality of spaced apart plates. These plates extended all the way from the entrance opening of the machine down through the developer fluid and then upwardly to a position immediately adjacent the rollers. Thus, the two sheets were kept separated until they reached the rollers.

Other prior art machines, for example machines like that shown in my above referred to copending application, provided a curved bottom in the trough, a relatively short spacer member disposed in spaced apart relation above the trough at the entrance opening of the machine,

and another plate disposed above the spacer member and in spaced relation thereto. This top plate member was also relatively short, and was used primarily to direct one of the photographic sheets downwardly into the developer fluid. In that construction after the two sheets were wet by the fluid they were then allowed to come together, and the only means used to direct the two sheets to the rollers was the bottom of the trough. Thus, after the two sheets became wet there were no guide means above the sheets which were theretofore thought necessary for the proper operation of the machine.

In still other machines rods or bars positioned adjacent the low point of the container for the developer fluid were used, and the sheets were fed beneath them so that when the leading edges of the sheets were gripped by the wringer rollers they would not be pulled out of the fluid, which would otherwise occur.

The present invention has carried the elimination of unnecessary parts a step further by eliminating the top plate and the rod altogether. it has been found that if the angle at which the two sheets are fed into the machine hired rates atet the photographic and down into the developer fluid is sutliciently large with respect to the horizontal, and if the bottom of the trough is substantially flat for a suflicient distance so that the weight of the fluid on the sheets will keep them submerged, then the top plate for directing the paper into the fluid and any other means for holding the sheets down, become unnecessary and may be dispensed with.

Having the foregoing in mind, it is therefore one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide a photocopy machine having a simplified construction as compared to those heretofore known.

Another obiect of the invention is to provide a photocopy machine which is economical to manufacture, due to the use of fewer parts than those presently on the market.

A still further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a photocopy machine wherein a removable trough has thereon a single entrance opening for one of sheets, such opening being formed by the forward edge of a bottom member and a spacer member positioned thereabove, and wherein the entrance opening for the second photographic sheet is formed by the spacer member and the edge of an opening in the machine housing, thereby eliminating the need for an additional plate secured to the trough.

Still another and more specific object of the invention is to provide a photocopy machine wherein the removable trough has the front part of the bottom thereof and the spacer member extending downwardly at such an angle as to permit the two sheets of paper to be fed downwardly to below the surface of the fluid. The angle with respect to a horizontal plane at which the two sheets are directed into the developer fluid is preferably in the range of from approximately 30 to although it has been found in actual use that an angle of approximately 45 works very well and permits the elimination of any guide means whatsoever other the spacer iember itself.

Another object is to provide the bottom of the trough which holds the developer fluid with a configuration which is such that the sheets will be submerged over a large enough area so that the weight of the fluid thereon will prevent the sheets from being pulled out of the fluid when the leading edges thereof are gripped by the wringer rollers.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully as the description proceeds, specific reference being made to the drawings herein.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of the photocopy machine housing similar to that disclosed in my above referred to copending application with certain parts broken away and showing the trough inside of the housing in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational View of the trough embodying the improvements of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the trough and housing as shown in MG. 1;

FlG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially along the plane of line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view at the front of the trough illustrating one end thereof and looking in the direction of the arrows on line 5--5 of FIG. 1;

PEG. 6 is end clevational view of one of the elements which may be used as a part of the trough assembly forming a part of the present invention, and

PEG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a modified form of the trough.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and especially to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, it will be noted that the machine is provided with a housing generally indicated by the numeral 1. This housing includes the usual end members, a back member indicated by the numeral 2 and a front 3).

The front wall of the housing is provided with an opening adapted to receive a trough generally indicated by the numeral 4. .This trough 4 may assume any desired and suitable configuration but in the present embodiment of the, invention herein disclosed, this trough isprovided with a bottom 5, a front wall 6, a rear wall 7, and end walls 8 and 9. The bottom of the trough 4 extends downwardly and inwardly at the front thereof as shown bythe numeral 10. A cover strip may, if desired, be used along the'front of the trough such as that indicated generally by the numeral 11. This front strip, as shown herein, has a vertically positioned face 12 and cars 13 at each end thereof. Each car 13 is provided with an opening 14 adapted to receive a suitable bolt, screw, or rivet, for fastening the front strip to the trough.

'This front cover strip 11 also has at each end thereof an ear or lug 15 extending upwardly and rearwardly.

"These lugs act as spacer members to provide a second entrance opening in a manner which will be more fully described hereinafter. Obviously, the strips lll, instead of being separate as shown, could be formed integral with the trough. Inside the trough a removable bottom is provided which is indicated by the numeral 16. The forward end of this removable bottom has a portion which extends downwardly and inwardly as shown at 1'7 and is preferably positioned at a predetermined angle. As will be noted from FIGS. 1 and 2, the rear of the trough 16 is curved upwardly as at Ma so that intermediate the front and rear thereof there is a low area 16]) which is spaced fingers 21a projecting from the lower edge thereof,

is also. mounted at thefront of the trough in spaced relation to the removable bottom 1-5. The spacer member 21 is maintained in spaced relation with the front part 17 of the bottom 16 by a member 22 at each end thereof. This member may be formed either integrally with the spacer member 21 or spacer member 21 also has an opening therethrough at as apart of the bottom member 16. The

each end thereof to receive the screws 20, so that when the screws are in place they will hold together the spacer member 21, the removable bottom 16 and the front cover strip i1. This arrangement will provide for an entrance opening indicated at'23 for the reception of one of the photographic sheets of paper below the spacer member.

The opening in the front Wall 3 of the housing has an upper edge designated by the numeral 24. When the trough is inserted into the housing through'this opening in the front wall thereof, it is moved inwardly until the lugs orears 15 at each end thereof abut against the aforesaid upper edge 24 of that wall opening. It is to be noted that when the trough has been moved into the housing as far as it will go there will be a space, indicated by the numeral 25 (see FIG. 5) between the upper surface of the spacer member 21 and the upper edge 24 of the wall opening. This opening 25 provides an entrance for the reception of the other of the photographic sheets to be developed.

In using the machine, one of the photographic sheets of paper may be inserted through the entrance opening 23 and the other through the entrance opening 25. These two sheets will then be maintained separate from each other for ashort distance due to the location of the spacer member 21. However, this spacer member keeps the sheets separated only until they reach a position below the surface of the developer fluid. The surface of the fluid is indicated in FIG. 1 by the numeral 26. It will be appreciated, however, that as more photographic sheets are developed, more fluid will be used, and the level thereof in the trough will become lower. Thus, it is necessary that the ends of the fingers 21a of the spacer member 21 must extend downwardlyasulficientdistance'to allow the sheets to become wet by the fluid even when it is at a low level.

As stated hereinbefore, it has been the practice in some of the earlier machines to provide guideways extending all the way from the entrance openings up to a point adjacent the two so-callcd wringer rollers indicated in FIG. 1 by the numerals 27 and 28. It has now been discovered, however, that if the angle with respect to the horizonal at which the two photographic sheets of paper are directed into the developer fluid is great enough, and if the trough bottom is'sufi'iciently fiat for a great enough distance intermediate the front and rear thereof to allow the weight of the wetted sheets to keep them submerged in the developer fluid, then it will be unnecessary to have any guide whatsoever for the upper sheet. In the drawings, the spacer member 21 and the adjacent portion 17 of the removable bottom 15 extend downwardly and inwardly of the trough at an angle of approximately 45 with the horizontal. This specific angle is notconsidered to be critical, except insofar as it is a convenient angle for the operator of the machine when the photographic paper is being fed into the developer fluid. It has been found that when the angle at which the paper is fed into the trough is too small, then one or both of the sheets may tend to float on top of the fluid. If the angle is great enough, then both sheets may be fed into the fluid below the surface thereof, and after they come together beyond the ends of the fingers 21:: the contour of the removable bottom 16 'will guide the leading edges of both sheets upwardly so that they will eventually be gripped by the wringer rollers 27" and 28.

It will thus be noted from the foregoing that there is no guide member whatsoever for the upper sheets of paper. It isconsidered that an angle as'low as approximately 30 will operate satisfactorily so that the sheets will be directed downwardly into the solution and follow the-contour of the bottom. It is likewise true that an angle larger than 45 with respect to the horizontal will also operate satisfactorily andsuch an angle could be as great as approximately Actual tests, however, make it obvious that for the most satisfactory operation, the angle of the paper as it is fed into the developer solution should be within that range of approximately 30 to 90, and preferably is in the neighborhood of 45 because that is a convenient angle 'for the operator.

It will thus be evident from the foregoing that the upper plate disclosedin my first above mentioned copending application may be dispensed with completely when the angle of the spacer member is such that the leading edges of the paper may be moved through the developer fiuid to the bottom of the trough and when the bottom of the trough has an intermediate area which is substantially fiat, or at least which has a relatively large radius. It will also be appreciated that by eliminating this upper plate, a considerable savings can be effected, not only in the cost of the materials, but also in the labor required to assemble the machine for shipment and use.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 7 of the drawing, there is illustrated a modified form of the trough which forms a part of the present invention. For the most part all of the elements are the same or similar to those heretofore described. There are certain minor differences, however, which will now be pointed out.

The modified form of trough is indicated'generally by the numeral 29. This trough has a front wall 30 and an inner bottom 31 which extends upwardly at the rear thereof, .asat 32, and upwardly and outwardly at the front thereof, as at 33. The removable bottom or insert is indicated at 34 and is shown as having a downwardly and inwardly extending portion 344m at the front thereof, and an upwardly and rearwardly curved portion 34b at the rear thereof. The intermediate portion of the bottom is shown at 34c and it will be noted that in this instance this intermediate portion is not fiat like that shown at 16b in MG. 1 but is substantially flat. in fact, this intermediate portion 340 is slightly arcuate but has a radius of curvature considerably greater than the radius of curvature of the curved portion 34-11 at the rear of the trough.

it has been found in actual practice that if the intermediate portion of the trough has a relatively small radius it may become necessary to utilize suitable hold-down means to keep the photographic sheets submerged in the fiuid after the leading edges thereof have been grasped by the rollers. On the other hand, when this intermediate area is flat, or at least has a relatively large radius of curvature over a suiiiciently large area, then the sheets will be allowed to become wet over a large enough area so that mere weight of the fluid thereon is sutlicient to keep them submerged even while the wringer rollers are pulling the sheets through the fluid and out of the trough.

Thus, it may be said that both of the intermediate portions of the trough shown at 16b in FIG. 1 and at 34c in FIG. 7 have larger radii of curvatures than that of the rear part of the trough. While the portion 34c is actually arcuate with a large radius, the intermediate portion 1611 may be said to have a radius of curvature which is infinite, thus making it fiat or substantially flat. In either event, the radius of curvature of this intermediate portion while not critical in and of itself, nevertheless must be great enough to allow the photographic sheets to become so wet by the fluid that they will remain submerged after the leading edges thereof have been grasped by the rollers.

it Will be evident that certain changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of parts from those disclosed herein without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the attendant advantages thereof, provided, however, that such changes fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A photocopy machine adapted to carry out the diffusion-transfer process comprising (a) a housing,

([2) a removable trough in said housing having a bot tom contoured to hold a quantity of a developer fluid through which positive and exposed negative photographic sheets may be passed,

() said trough being positioned in said housing so that a part of the trough forms a part of a wall of the housing,

(d) a removable bottom in said trough disposed above said first named bottom and having (1) a first portion extending downwardly and inwardly at the entrance side thereof,

(2) a second portion extending upwardly and outwardly at the exit side thereof, and

(3) a substantially flat intermediate area covering a substantial portion of the bottom and disposed substantially horizontally,

(e) a pair of wringer rollers in said housing positioned above said exit side of said though so that the leading edges of said photographic sheets passing through the developer fluid will be guided thereto by said second portion of said bottom,

(f) said first portion of said bottom defining first guide means for guiding one of said sheets into the fluid, and

(g) second guide means for guiding the other of said sheets into the fluid and for maintaining them separated until they are wet by the fluid consisting of separator means at the entrance side of said removable bottom and extending to a point adjacent said intermediate portion thereof,

(11) whereby the portions of said sheets passing through the fluid will remain submerged therein by their own weight while the sheets are being pulled out of the trough by said rollers.

2. A photocopy machine according to claim 1 wherein said separator means is mounted on said trough.

3. A photocopy machine according to claim 1 wherein said separator means comprises a substantially fiat plate and is substantially parallel to said first portion of said removable bottom.

4. A photocopy machine according to claim 1 wherein said intermediate area of said removable bottom is closely adjacent to and substantially parallel with the intermediate portion of the bottom of said trough.

5. A photocopy machine according to the claim 1 wherein said separator means is disposed at an angle in excess of 30 with respect to the horizontal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS (Addition to No. 1,081,179) 

1. A PHOTOCOPY MACHINE ADAPTED TO CARRY OUT THE DIFFUSION-TRANSFER PROCESS COMPRISING (A) A HOUSING, (B) A REMOVABLE TROUGH IN SAID HOUSING HAVING A BOTTOM CONTOURED TO HOLD A QUANTITY OF A DEVELOPER FLUID THROUGH WHICH POSITIVE AND EXPOSED NEGATIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC SHEETS MAY BE PASSED, (C) SAID TROUGH BEING POSITIONED IN SAID HOUSING SO THAT A PART OF THE TROUGH FORMS A PART OF A WALL OF THE HOUSING, (D) A REMOVABLE BOTTOM IN SAID TROUGH DISPOSED ABOVE SAID FIRST NAMED BOTTOM AND HAVING (1) A FIRST PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY AT THE ENTRANCE SIDE THEREOF, (2) A SECOND PORTION EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY AT THE EXIT SIDE THEREOF, AND (3) A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT INTERMEDIATE AREA COVERING A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE BOTTOM AND DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY, (E) A PAIR OF WRINGER ROLLERS IN SAID HOUSING POSITIONED ABOVE SAID EXIT SIDE OF SAID TROUGH SO THAT THE LEADING EDGES OF SAID PHOTOGRAPHIC SHEETS PASSING THROUGH THE DEVELOPER FLUID WILL BE GUIDED THERETO BY SAID SECOND PORTION OF SAID BOTTOM, (F) SAID FIRST PORTION OF SAID BOTTOM DEFINING FIRST GUIDE MEANS FOR GUIDING ONE OF SAID SHEETS INTO THE FLUID, AND (G) SECOND GUIDE MEANS FOR GUIDING THE OTHER OF SAID SHEETS INTO THE FLUID AND FOR MAINTAINING THEM SEPARATED UNTIL THEY ARE WET BY THE FLUID CONSISTING OF SEPARATOR MEANS AT THE ENTRANCE SIDE OF SAID REMOVABLE BOTTOM AND EXTENDING TO A POINT ADJACENT SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF, (H) WHEREBY THE PORTIONS OF SAID SHEETS PASSING THROUGH THE FLUID WILL REMAIN SUBMERGED THEREIN BY THEIR OWN WEIGHT WHILE THE SHEETS ARE BEING PULLED OUT OF THE TROUGH BY SAID ROLLERS. 